Gutenberg, the WordPress visual editor, provides a good solution to one of the previous editor’s flaws. Creating a table without the help of a plugin before Gutenberg was pretty awkward. The visual editor has enabled users to insert tables, but you still have to use plugins to create stylish tables in WordPress.
Tables break down data into a more digestible format and make the content more visually appealing. If you are working with a large volume of data, then tables are golden.
Luckily, some developers have created effective plugins for creating stylish tables without writing a single line of code. We tested six plugins, and here are our insights!
Visualizer
The free version of the plugin is available in the WordPress plugin repository. Visit ThemeIsle’s website to buy the premium option. Still, the free version packages enough cool features to create beautiful, usable tables.
Visualizer is not only about building tables but enabling its users to craft a large number of visuals, such as like progress bars, timelines, columns, and circles.
Install and activate the plugin, go to your WordPress dashboard, and check the Visualizer panel. Click Add New to start building the first table. Next, decide on the type of the table. Currently, users of the free plugin can select from nine types, while the holders of the premium subscriptions benefit from six additional designs. Users can import data from URLs, other charts, WordPress, databases, or add data manually, but the free version restricts users to URL and manual data import only.
A huge plus of Visualizer is the set of customization options. You have plenty of options for building a good-looking table. You can set the number of rows, table height, background color, enable chart print, and pagination. Test the plugin to see all these features in action.
TablePress
TablePress is free to download from the WordPress repository, and it has 800,000 active installs and a perfect rating. These stats are pretty impressive for any plugin developer.
Would you expect a big team behind this plugin, isn’t it? Well, Tobias Bäthge is the creator of this plugin, and he offers his work for free to anyone who needs it. Thanks, Tobias!
Check out this demo to get an idea of this plugin. TablePress doesn’t make a splash with its design options, but it thrills users with the data manipulation options. You can filter and sort columns, add a header and footer, enable horizontal scrolling and pagination, add formulas, and export the table content.
Overall, TablePress fully deserves its place on this list thanks to the complete set of customization options.
wpDataTables
This plugin comes in both a free and paid version. The free plugin has some serious limitations, so only users who sporadically need a table should go with this option. Indeed, the paid version packages many helpful features.
Creating a table is simple and intuitive. Sadly, the users of the free version can only create a table linked to an existing data source. It’s not possible to create a table manually, which is pretty annoying. However, premium users benefit from a bunch of useful features, such as advanced filtering, row grouping, conditional formatting, and inline-table editing.
There are a couple of interesting plugin add-ons that simplify some processes. Report Builder is a cool add-on that generates Microsoft Word or Excel documents from your site’s tables.
League Table
While wpDataTables is the most sold table plugin on CodeCanyon, League Table has the best rating. It impresses users with its large set of customization options, intuitive interface, and acceptable price tag. This plugin includes 13 general options, 105 options per table, and 17 options per cell.
I recommend checking out all the League Table demos. They reveal the full potential of the plugin, and you can get a few ideas for implementing tables on your site.
Data Tables Generator
The advantage of using Data Tables Generator is the impressive number of styling options. The same as many other plugins, it has a free and paid version, but even the free one includes a plethora of useful features. Install it, activate it, and start creating a new table. Under the Editor panel, you have tons of options for editing the table, including merging cells, inserting media items, and adding colors to each entry.
Ninja Tables
Ninja Tables is a product from WP Manage Ninja, an agency well-known for its top-class themes and plugins. It comes with free and premium versions. Both are responsive, search-engine friendly, and have no lag when loading data.
The free Ninja Tables impresses with its large array of options, while the premium version simply enthuses all users. The plugin handles data easily and intuitively, and the design aspect isn’t neglected either. Users have all the options needed to create a visually appealing table.
Other worth mentioning features are
- Drag-and-drop data sorting
- Advanced data filtering
- WooCommerce integration
- Conditional formatting
- Table importing from CSV/JSON files and other plugin tables
Conclusion
Tables are mandatory for webmasters who pump out a lot of content; they make the data more digestible. There aren’t a ton of options for creating stylish tables in WordPress, but the above suggestions are enough for the huge majority of projects.
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